Nothing Gears Up For Industry-First Phone (2), To Expand India Offline Footprint

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New Delhi: After ironing out quality concerns in Nothing Phone (1) via 10 software updates, the global technology brand is now geared up to launch Phone (2) soon, with definitive plans to further diversify offline in the country, its top India executive said on Monday.

The London-based company faced multiple user complaints after launching Nothing Phone (1), like getting stuck while booting up, fingerprint freeze, lag in the touchscreen, and more. ()

Manu Sharma, Vice President, and General Manager, Nothing India, told IANS that they have learned their lessons with the first smartphone, and when they launch their second offering in India soon, it will be an industry-leading device. ()

`On Flipkart, we now have a rating of 4.4 for Nothing Phone (1) from an earlier 4.2 rating after improving user experience. When we launched Android 13 on Phone (1), the users` response was fantastic. We would carry our learnings to Phone (2) which will be an industry-first with our iconic design philosophy," Sharma elaborated.

The company`s first product, Ear (1), was received well. Following its success, the company`s smartphone product Phone (1) was launched in July 2022.

Nothing released Ear (2), its second set of ANC (active noise cancellation) earbuds ? also rated 4.4 on Flipkart ? this year which is a unique offering in the crowded wireless earbud market due to its transparent design and solid internals.

"We now have a presence in 2,000 offline stores in India. We are likely to foray into launching our own retail store in India next year as we expand product portfolio," Sharma told IANS.

Nothing Phone (1) is currently being manufactured in India and the company continues to evaluate more opportunities as it moves forward.

"India has been a very strong hub of manufacturing for a long period of time and it continues to be, with a lot of focus on mobile exports. We will need to evaluate more opportunities in partnerships so that we also manufacture more in the country,` Sharma noted.

"We are well poised to grow in the premium segment, while continuing to work with the government and partners. We have strengthened our engineering teams and are investing a lot of time on building new features," Sharma told IANS.

With "premiumisation" picking up pace amid 5G adoption, smartphones continue to be an important electronics product in people`s lives.

"We have established our presence in the country, improved user experiences and are now focused on Phone (2) success," Sharma told IANS.